The framing for the suites was complete and the men were working on the floors one at a time. There were a lot of builders so the work went fairly quickly. Kaiden wanted to leave everything in the suites blank. He wanted the ones who would live there to decorate it how they would want it. Zoe and Halina had gathered all of the children and gave them toy catalogues to look through. She had a long list of things that they were going to buy to put in the playroom. Halina had already decided she was going to do a cartoonish Dragon mural in the room. Rosa and Abby had staked out a corner of the playroom already and that is where they had their lessons.
After training, Jaco would retire to his room until dinner. He was doing all sorts of stuff, looking at pictures all over the world. Kaiden had ordered more computers and they had been set up in the library. Some of the guys would come up and use those to help with the search. Jaco had made a web page that had some hidden messages in it. There have been no messages so far. But Jaco never gave up. Carmine and Paulo joined the patrols a couple days ago. They wanted to be there just in case their skills were needed.
Marcus and Iraina would always have meals with everyone and train in the mornings, but as soon as training was done they would disappear until dinner. No one questioned them and everyone figured they were talking and getting to know each other. Theirs was the first second chance soul mate relationship, so no one really knew how it worked. Alexi and Gosha had pretty much made themselves the doctors of the community. There were three births that they over saw and the mothers were happy to have them. They said the births went so much smoother with them there than their previous ones. Alexi and Gosha were also teaching Vivi and Christian, along with the few turned Blood Dragons, everything that went into being able to heal.
Zach and Zoe would meet for an hour before dinner to meditate and try to locate the magic within their blood. So far nothing has come to the surface. Zoe was impatient, but Zach was always there to bring her back to reality and calm her down. After meditating Zoe would go to the music room and pick up her guitar and just sit there. She hadn’t played yet she would just hold it and stare out the window.
Tia and John spent a lot of time with her parents and Mateo constantly training. Sebastian and Camilla also taught them a few tricks when it came to being a Fury. Mateo would train with them and when he was able to get away you would find him in the kitchen with Mary. When they both got the time they went for long walks or went up to their rooms. They were usually alone in the suite because Vivi and Christian loved to talk with everyone, Alexi and Gosha also loved it.
Kaiden just kind of floated around. You usually found him with Zoe, but he was also busy with the builders and ordering stuff for the house. Abby took a liking to Kaiden, so you could always find him in the movie area with her and Ben. Ben loved to make Abby laugh, so every chance he got he was doing something silly. Brad and Monica kept a careful eye on him and Abby and were never far from them.
Tonight for dinner they were all having a huge cookout in the valley. The barbeques had been rolled down there and picnic tables brought over. Charles had found some hanging lights in the storage area and he strung them up around their barbeque area with some poles. Candles were placed on the tables and picnic blankets were in the middle for the kids. Everyone in the border was invited to join them. The only ones who wouldn’t be here tonight were the ones on patrol. But Zoe and Kaiden were planning to take them plates.
Some more half-blood soul mates were discovered over the week and everyone was very happy. Someone brought a radio out, so they had music while they ate and talked. Charles sat with Penny and always had a walkie-talkie attached to his hip. Mateo also had one and he sat with Mary and the ladies in the house. Everyone was enjoying the burgers and salads that were made.
After dinner couples began to dance and the children joined them. There were some games of tag being played and the puppies ran around everyone. Ben must have told them no begging, because not once did they try to eat the food the children dropped or came to the tables to beg. Kaiden and Zoe had finished eating and were making up the plates for the men on patrols when the radios went off.
“CHARLES! we got company on the beach. There are four boats at the edge of the water and they cannot pass. But they are not detouring they are just floating there. I can feel them also, they are half-bloods. But they are mostly children” The man on the radio said.
Vivi gasped and jumped up spilling her drink on the table. Christian followed suit and ran after her. She was running full tilt and stripping off her clothes as she ran. Everyone acted fast and moved. Jaco started running and striping too and soon he flew off. Charles and Sebastian stood there and shifted their shift ripped their clothes from their bodies. Zoe and Kaiden took off and shifted also. Gabe was not far behind. In the distance you could see that Christian had not shifted and Vivi carried him in her claw.
When they all got to the beach everyone stood there in shock. In the distance you could see the large boat leaving. The four small boats had one adult and at least eight children inside. Vivi had shifted back to human, she stood there in tears.
“Those are my sisters and some of the children.” Vivi said
“They mean no harm Kaiden. They are scared and hoping for safety.” Christian said
“I will swim out and see what is going on. Charles and Sebastian, Gabe you too, fly out and stay within the border. I am safe in the water if I need to get away fast.” Jaco said
Kaiden and Zoe stayed on the beach with Vivi and Christian. Others had followed and were in Dragon form on the cliff above. Some had flown down and were hovering in the air.
“Zoe I don’t understand this. Those sisters are the ones that hate my father. But they know they would be killed if they left, especially with his babies.” Vivi sobbed
“We will find out soon Vivi, don’t worry, if they are looking for safety we will not turn them away, especially the children.” Zoe assured her
They stood in silence watching and waiting. Ten minutes went by before they saw Charles coming back. He shifted and stood there looking at Vivi.
“Vivi, who is Deirdra?” Charles asked
“Oh god, if she is with them then she will kill everyone. She is the worst of my sister’s and follows all of his orders, gladly. She loves killing.” Vivi spoke with fear in her voice.
“She is not there. They say she made them escape. They don’t really know where they are and they are all very upset. Seems one of your sisters jumped off the boat and would rather drown than be found by your father. Could you come out here and talk to them?” Charles asked
“Yes of course.” Vivi said and kissed Christian as Charles shifted back into his Dragon and Vivi climbed in his back. They flew out past the border and hovered above the boats.
Vivi was anxious and nervous. She hated her father and what he did, but she knew these sisters and the children were all victims of Aldrich. Once they passed the border she heard them all yell for her.
“VIVI, VIVI your alive!” A small girl yelled
“What happened Marcia?” Vivi asked the woman who was closest to them.
“He is insane Vivi. He locked himself in his office for two days then he called all the mothers to him. Some came back, but most didn’t. Then he had Deirdra gather all the kids who were ten or older. He killed the ones who couldn’t shoot. Then he killed the ones who wouldn’t fight. He left one day and Deirdra put us all on a boat. Oh god Vivi they are all dead. We got all the kids who would come and the babies, and we just left. I don’t think Deirdra is alive anymore. It’s only the men now.” Marcia cried
“That’s why they camped here. He sent them all out. That’s why there were three in New York. He let them all lose again.” Gabe says
“Oh god he will kill us if he finds us, please you have to help us.” Marcia begged
“Marcia the only way we can help you is if you forget everything he told you and swear fealty to Kaiden and Zoe. You remember Marcus? Zoe is his daughter. I promise you they are
good people. Aldrich was wrong about everything. This is home to me, I have my mate and it is wonderful here. But Aldrich needs to be stopped and so do our brothers. If you swear fealty you and the kids will be safe.” Vivi tells her
“I will, just tell me what we need to say Vivi.” Marcia pleads
“I will, just let me go get Zoe and Kaiden they have to be here. Charles, take me back.” Vivi says
Charles flies her back to the beach and she jumps off his back. “Aldrich has lost it. He has been killing the children and the mothers. Deirdra risked her life and put the ones she could on a boat. They want to swear fealty to you.” Vivi says looking from Kaiden to Zoe.
“Obviously they spoke no lies and Christian says they mean no harm, but I would like one other opinion if you don’t mind Vivi?” Kaiden says
“Of course, I don’t want anyone in danger here. Do what you need to do.” Vivi says
Kaiden looks up to the cliff and he spots a puppy looking over. He knows Ben is near and if Ben is near, then Abby is too. “Someone please bring Abby down.” He yells to the crowd. A Water Dragon gets close to the edge and Kaiden can see Brad putting Abby on the Dragon’s back. Kaiden shifts and flies down to the beach. The Dragon slowly descends down, once he lands he gets as low as he can for Kaiden to pick Abby off his back. Kaiden holds her and positions her so she can see out to the boats. “Abby you see the boats?” Kaiden asks her.
“Yep. Why are all those kids in the boats out there? Why can’t they come here to the sand?” Abby asks
“Well honey there is a magic border that they can’t pass. But I am glad you see them. Now are they all bright bubbles?” Kaiden asks
“Well some of the bigger boys, like Ben they are not bright like the rest, but they are not dark. They are kinds of gray. That is the color right? You mix the white and the black and you get gray?” Abby asks
“Yep that is right, so since they aren’t dark maybe we can make then bright?” Kaiden asked
“The puppies will help, they make everyone go really bright when they are around.” Abby says
“I think we will try that. Now Zoe and me, we need to go out there to them. So I am going to put you back on the Dragon and he will take you back up to Ben.” Kaiden says
“Ok.” Abby says as Kaiden places her back on the Dragon’s back. The Dragon takes her back up, Zoe and Kaiden both shift and fly out to the boats. Vivi also shifted and flew back out there. When the red Dragon just appeared in front of the boats all the women and some of the kids screamed in terror. Vivi hovered for a moment and then shifted dropping herself into the water.
“Sorry, I kind of forgot.” Vivi said as she came up for air. She knew the only red Dragon they ever saw was their father. “Ok everyone, that is Kaiden and Zoe, they are the King and Queen here. So look at them and say, I promise my life and the life of my Dragon, to honor and cherish you as King and Queen. I will live respectfully and vow my loyalty to you.” Vivi looked at them all.
The children who could speak and the four women all repeated what Vivi said. Jaco went to push the first boat through and it wouldn’t go. Vivi looked shocked. Then she looked into the boat and noticed the babies. “They can’t say it.” Vivi panicked
Zoe shifted and fell into the water. As soon as her face broke the water she said “Move all the ones who cannot talk into one boat. I know what to do.” As soon as she was done speaking she shifted back into her Dragon and lifted back up into the air. They all moved quickly, moving all the babies and some small toddlers into one boat. The other boats were pushed into the border on waves Jaco had made. Kaiden stayed with Zoe and so did Jaco. The others went to help the children and the four women up to the cliff.
Zoe moved to the boat and hovered there. She closed her eyes and dipped her back half into the water. Her front claws rested on the edge of the boat, her head was resting on her claws. Her eyes were closed for several seconds then she opened them. She gargled deep in her throat and blew on the children. A pearly colored smoke came out of her mouth and enveloped the babies. She nodded to Jaco and he gave the boat a small shove. It glided right through the border. Jaco then swam next to the boat and moved it to the edge of the sand. Zoe and Kaiden followed. Jaco made a huge wall of water and lifted the boat up to the cliff. While it was there, hands grabbed the edge and pulled it all the way up.
Kaiden and Zoe flew to the cliff and shifted back into human. Robes are handed to them and they quickly covered up. Kaiden looks at Zoe with pride and awe on his face. “It was something that just came to me.” She blushed as she grabbed a baby out of the boat. “So kids are you hungry? We got lots of burgers left.” Zoe asked
“Yes!” The children screamed
“Ok then let’s head over there and make some plates. Then we will get to know all your names and find a room for you to sleep in.” Zoe said and she started walking back to the cookout area.
As the large group walked back to the barbeque area, Vivi hung back with her sisters and talked. Everyone helped make the kids plates and some of the mothers went and gathered all the bottles they could. There were about ten babies all under one year and they all took a bottle. Then there were ten toddlers and twelve children from five years and up. As Vivi looked around she was confused. “I know there were more.” She says
“There were. We could only get the kids who couldn’t say no and the ones that wanted to come. Most of the ones between ten and fifteen were glad he finally noticed them and gave them a gun. So we had to leave them. The oldest here is Mimi, she is twelve now, he killed her mother. Vivi he took us too. We were the only ones who didn’t miss the target. He killed them right in front of us. He never did that before, he might not have liked us girls, but he would never kill us or his sons. You know how he cherished the boys he just killed them without a thought. Deirdra shocked us most though. She never talked to us, never acknowledged us. But when only five of us walked out, she looked heartbroken. The next night while he was away she gathered us all up, put us on a boat. She actually promised that guy, who has a crush on her, that she would marry him if he took us here. She said to put us in boats and make sure we headed to the hidden shore and then for him to leave.” Marcia began to cry. “I think she found this place a few years ago and has been keeping it secret. I know some of the guys have come here over the years, but they never found anything. They always said they got confused and went right back to the airport and left.”
“That would be the border. It confuses you if you walk into it. It is meant to protect us from anyone who means us harm.” Vivi explained
“So we really are safe here?” Marcia asked
“Yes and I promise you that we are all a real family here. I also have some great news to share with you that we recently found out.” Vivi tells them
Chapter 20
Decisions
When they were all done eating they took the women and the children up to the house. Kaiden knew they had bunk beds and cribs in the storage area, he had asked some of the guys to bring them to the house. Some toys had already been delivered so all the women brought the children into the playroom while the bedrooms were being put together.
Alexi and Gosha had come in and made sure that everyone was healthy after spending a week on the boat. A couple of the babies were dehydrated and had a slight cold, but nothing more. The ladies that worked in the house had already said they would take one toddler and one baby with them in their rooms. The four women were given rooms downstairs and they were given a break from the little ones. The bunk beds were placed in two of the rooms and boys were put in one room the girls in another. That left four babies and four toddlers to find rooms for. Iraina took one toddler and Monica and Rosa took a baby each with them. Justine said she would take a baby, but didn’t trust her skills to take a toddler too. Vivi took the remaining three toddlers with her to her suite. Zoe decided that she wanted to take a baby to her suite. She took the youngest one that Marcia had said was four months old.
Vivi promised her sisters
that she would tell them everything in the morning, but for now to relax and have a good night sleep. Most of the babies were already asleep in someone’s arms. Monica and Rosa were just staring at the babies in their arms. Iraina too was cooing and playing with the one in her arms. Zoe just stared at the sleeping baby girl in her arms. There were definitely more boys then there were girls. Out of the babies, three were girls. Out of the toddlers only four were girls and there were ten bigger boys and only five older girls. The oldest of the girls was twelve and she took charge of her sisters, telling them all to take a bath before bed. Marcia ordered the boys to take showers before she left for some quiet time in the room that was given to her. The oldest boy in the group was ten, he was a very quiet boy and just sort of watched everyone.
Kaiden and the rest of the men all sat around the fire pit and discussed some issues that they all worried about while the women tended to the children.
“Kaiden, I don’t think that we should change the older females anytime soon. I know what they say about their father, I know that Abby and Christian have both given their say about them, but there is the chance that they could turn on us.” Charles said
“The oldest sister, Marcia she is what twenty two?” Kaiden asks
“She is twenty, Raquel is nineteen, Sam or Samantha is also nineteen and Megan is only seventeen.” Vivi says as she sits down next to Christian. She also has two little girls and a little boy with her. “This is Maggie she is almost two, this little sweetie is Layla she is sixteen months, and this little guy is Brandon he is three. This is my first time meeting them. I have been gone for six years so lots of new faces for me.” Vivi smiles at the little ones.
“Alright Vivi, would you think it wrong of us if we didn’t change your sisters until they are all twenty two?” Kaiden asks
“I grew up knowing the oldest ones, the older kids were very small when I left, but things could have changed since I was away. So no, I don’t think that is wrong of you. I do appreciate you asking me though.” Vivi says
Second Chances (The Extinct Race Series) Page 17
